Do these cast .45's look good to you

[elton01]

Hi all,

New member here. I'm looking for some constructive criticism on my cast boolits.
I just finished the 300th cast .45 for my personal consumption. I've picked what I consider to be the best and worst of my bullets and have shown them for your critiquing. (The ones that I feel are useable, the wrinkled, non filled variety don't make it out of the garage, back into the Lee pot with them.)
I'm using a Lee 2 holer, with a 20lb production pot. I've Lee-mented as per instructions I've seen on CB while lurking. I believe I'm doing OK, and this has been borne out with great shooting sessions using said boolits.
Yesterday, while out at the range, I had a gentleman ask if I made my own bullets. I said I did, and I proceeded to show him the very bullets that I have taken the photo of. He asked how much would I charge for a box of 200. I replied that I haven't really the equipment to pour en masse for someone.
Out of the blue, one of the old timers who was eavesdropping on the conversation came over, looked at the bullets and declared them of "poor quality", and that if the member wanted to buy cast bullets, he would be more than happy to give him a great deal on cast boolits, which he himself pours and sells.
I don't really care about him promoting his bullets, since I don't plan on selling mine anyways, but I was really ticked off about him calling my bullets "poor" quality, and told him to put his money where his mouth was and show me what was wrong with my boolits. He picked out two that were frosty, which I agreed with, and then proceeded to tell me my mold was not set up, and that the line from the mold was very pronounced and would make for poor boolits.
I've looked at them, then looked at his and when I pointed out a line on a few of his boolits, he replied that they weren't even a 10th of what mine was.
I pulled out my powder scale and proceeded to show that my boolits were all within a .5 grain end weight. He wouldn't weigh his, saying that weight wasn't an issue when dealing with 230 grain round nose, and that being off a grain wasn't an issue.
What do you all think?

:confused:

[blikseme300]

I don't see any "poor quality" boolits. IMHO the other person is full of bovine excrement.


Bliksem
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[725]

Smile and walk away. He's a goof and you'll never have any effect on him. I may be off base. After all, I wasn't there. Dealing with know-it-alls is an Herculean task. Hey- you like your boolits. They work for you. Look OK to me. What do you care about this guy's opinion? Little people like to make themselves look big by making others appear small. If his comments were instructive, even critical, that's much different than your experience. Just outshoot him, smile and walk away.

[R.Ph. 380]

Those are very nice boolits and would provide very nice shooting. How's the hardness?

Bill

[MtGun44]

Look fine, closer pic would help, but no obvious problems. Not a fan of TL, but the casting
quality looks pretty good. Ultimately the base will tell the tale, the rest is much less important.

Bill

[elton01]

Hi all,

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I really do like my boolits. :lovebooli
Nothing better than sending a lead pill down range in a reload knowing that the reload is all mine.
Bill, I don't know what my hardness is, which is not good since I can't be sure that I'm in the proper ball park. But, I'm casting out of straight WW, which should be OK since I'm keeping my velocity to under 800 fps. I'm using 3.4 grains of Clays with 230grain boolit.
At some point in time I'm going to get a hardness tester once I've got some spare cash. That and a progressive press.
Love casting though, nothing better than looking at a hundred or two rounds at the end of a night and knowing you'll burn through them next day.
I'm also going to get a lubrisizer one day as well, since I find tumble lubing easy, but a little bit smokey.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Your bullets look fine to me. There are no visible external defects and if the weights are that close then there are probably no internal voids. They should shoot well. I have been using straight wheelweights for a very long time and for pistol work they do fine. The BHN hardness factor usually runs between 9 and 12. Frosting on bullets means nothing in relation to accuracy and it can be removed easily with a rub or two with some #0000 steel wool. Keep up the good work. LLS

[D Crockett]

from what I see your bullets look just fine. I would however like to see the bottom of some of them. if you use a spew plat lube the bottom where the spew is cut off is nice and flat. if not it will look like it had been torn off kind of rough looking. if you do not have any give me a pm I have some extra . D Crockett

[geargnasher]

A nice, even, satin frost on all your boolits just means there's a little antimony in your lead and that your mould was hot enough for good fillout. It's a fine like mould temperature to maintain shiny boolits and sharp, complete fillout of the bases and edges, I prefer to cast much faster and get the mould nice and hot so the shiny goes away. If the mould is too hot, the boolits will start coming out to small and be rough on the surfaces like they were sandblasted. If this happens let the mould cool down for 30 seconds and start again. Newbies almost NEVER cast fast enough to get the mould up to optimum temperature, too busy looking at each boolit cast! Don't tell me you don't do it! :kidding:

Back to your boolits, the only thing I see other than a little inconsistency in mould temperature (mostly shiny with a few faint frosty patches) is what looks like some base flashing. Make sure the sprue plate lays FLAT on the top of the blocks, it's common with the Lee two-bangers to get lead smears under the sprue plate or radial galling of aluminum around the sprue plate pivot screw area which will drive the sprue plate up off the blocks a bit and let "flashing" form on the bases. You want a clean base cut, that's key to accuracy. Nose defects and front band defects can be severe and you'll not notice them in most .45 autos at less than 25 yards, but a slight nick in a base can fling one several inches out of the group.

Check the "lube" sub-forum for a sticky thread titled something about mould lube and how to apply it, get yourself some Zip Lube from our member Randyrat and start using it per directions on the mould alignment points and especially under the sprue plate, it will keep the galling from happening and improve boolit base quality. If galling has already occured, take the sprue plate off and wet-sand the sprue plate and top of the blocks with 400-grit Emery paper and an absolutely flat surface, making certain the mould is closed and aligned properly. Use of the Zip lube will keep it cleaner in the future.

One more thing to check about those wide parting lines, measure the boolit diameters just "off" of the parting line, and then again perpendicular to it to see if your boolits are round. If they're within a half-thousanth and consistent, they're fine. But if they're larger perpendicular to the part line, the mould wasn't closing all the way and you have elliptical boolits. Look for lead bits stuck to the mould faces and check the alignment points for burrs to make certain the mould blocks are closing completly. That wide part line is either a product of a gap them the mould is closed, or you rounded the edges of the cavities slightly when Leementing the mould. No big deal, it won't affect the way they shoot as long as the boolits are ROUND.

Here's a pic of what I mean by "light, even, satin frosting":

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28901&d=1296091775

Gear

[John Boy]

I'm using a Lee 2 holer, with a 20lb production pot. I've Lee-mented as per instructions Elton, the bullets look very good ... a couple of suggestion to minimize the mold half lines.
* Take the handles and if they wiggle up and down - tighten the handle bolt. This will align the halves when they close
* In a lead padded vice - squeeze the mold halves so the pins are more into alignment - this will allow the halves to close tighter

Then the bullets will be F-I-N-E looking!:grin:

[HighHook]

Great looking boolits to me. I Sort the best ones for paper punching and all else for smacking steel.

[MikeS]

Elton: As others here have said, your boolits look fine. The guy at the range was just trying to make his boolits look better by saying that yours were poor. If he wasn't willing to let you weigh some of his, chances are they vary more than yours, and if that was pointed out by weighing them, then how would his boolits look them? Listen to what Gear says, he knows of what he speaks.

You will always find jerks, and the shooting sport is no different. Don't worry about them, just walk away. You're making your boolits for you, not him, so if you're happy with your boolits, and they're doing what you want them to do, that's ALL that matters.

[jlchucker]

The real proof will be in the shooting. If they shoot to your satisfaction, there's nothing wrong with them. And even if they don't shoot perfectly on the first try, how do you know that it's not the particular load you used with those boolits? Or maybe even your marksmanship at the time you did your shooting? We all have bad target days now and then. Solution to both is to try some different loads and shoot some more of your boolits. I agree with everyone who says that the boolits look just fine. Somebody is just trying to pick nits with you. Unless I know them very well, I pay little or no attention to these gun-range "experts".

[cgm]

Your bullets look fine.... In fact, at first I thought you were were trying to show off!

As for your "old timer".... sounds like he is a jerk. God knows there are a lot of them around any gun range. They usually know everything!

[H.Callahan]

As for your "old timer".... sounds like he is a jerk. God knows there are a lot of them around any gun range. They usually know everything!
Remember, there are a LOT of dumb old-farts out there. Take me, for example... [smilie=s:

I wouldn't be embarrassed to show any of those.

[Dumpy]

Like everyone said the bullets look good. It's how they shoot that matters. Some people think they look good by making someone else look bad. Sometimes us old timers get Jealous of the younger crowd being better than us. We all go thru it. He should have waited & caught the gentlemen on the side and just informed him that he casts & sells bullets to members . He could have added that he too makes excellent castings & everyone would have been happy. Gear I especially enjoyed your comments. I had trouble with lines and was exactly what you said. there was a thin shaving of lead in between the mold haves causing the problem. I was also using a lee mold. My mold would have to be cooled occasionally because the bullets would frost. I would set it down on a trivet for a couple of minutes and that would take care of it. I usually lube my molds with pure silicone spray through out the casting process and that works out for me.

[mdi]

Those bullets look fine to me. Keeping the mold temp consistant will take a little practice, but those bullets are OK. Mic the bullets and you may be able to "de-Leement" the mold and that'll prolly lessen or eliminate the split lines.

Ya gotta take what a "Range Rat" or "Gun Shop Guru" says with a grain of salt (or .1 gr.). I've heard some really outlandish stuff from those self appointed experts, who will swear that their B.S is gospel! No matter how good yours is, his will always be a bit better. Some need (really have to) be right. Mebbe their wives beat them down every day and they need to feel good about sumpin', so they repeat stuff they've heard as gospel. I just smile, nod my head, and go back to what I was doing.

Keep casting. I heard somewhere "the only way to learn how to cast, is to cast"...

[garym1a2]

If accuracy is good, the gun feeds 100% and barrel is not leaded than u are doing well. It took me a year to get that far.

[paul h]

They look fine to me, but as others have said, how do they shoot? The truth of the quality of a cast bullet is how well it shoots. Nothing beats shooting itty bitty groups to shut up the resident range "experts"

Sadly there is a percentage of people at ranges that are downright rude, ignorant, and who are incapable of safely handling firearms. Just blow off the blow hard.

[EMC45]

You're not shooting at a range in GA are you? Sounds like a couple someones I've encountered. Had one guy blast me on my Mosin (New England Westinghouse Finn rework) that was given to me. Called it every name in the book, boat anchor etc. Said everything I read about Mosin reloading I could flush down the toilet. He saw the target it shot with my handloads and then tried to buy the gun off me. NO JOKE. He actually tried to buy it right their on the spot. I had to really excercise humility and bite my tongue. Your bullets look fine BTW.

[gray wolf]

Nice bullets and good on you for posting your question.
I thought I met all the *******s at the shooting ranges but I see a few got a way.
Do as the others have said, ignore them and don't even try to deal with them.
They are energy vampires and will suck whatever good is in you out.
Not to say they wont waste your time.
Keep up the good work and enjoy the hobby.

Sam in Maine

[Plate plinker]

Smile and walk away. He's a goof and you'll never have any effect on him. I may be off base. After all, I wasn't there. Dealing with know-it-alls is an Herculean task. Hey- you like your boolits. They work for you. Look OK to me. What do you care about this guy's opinion? Little people like to make themselves look big by making others appear small. If his comments were instructive, even critical, that's much different than your experience. Just outshoot him, smile and walk away.

Right on!

By the way if your doubting yourself I could shoot up that lead for ya!:Fire:

[just.don]

I agree with everyone else, those will do very nicely.

The more I see in pictures and read, the better I feel that some day I'll get great fill out, no flashing and round bullets, ALL IN THE SAME TIME. Normally, I get one or two of the three but rarely all three together.
I must be rough on my toys and incapable of remembering to check all the details of the mold and melt before, during and then frequently throughout the process.
I enjoy the heck out of it nonetheless! Gets me out of the house yet keeps me off the streets and generally out of trouble.
And most people will leave you alone when they find out what your doing.
"Your melting LEAD.... to make BULLETS???" One lady said she had "never heard of such a thing."


He actually tried to buy it right their on the spot. I had to really excercise humility and bite my tongue.

I've been called a smart a** on occasion and at that point I would have earned the title.
"Why, your boat anchor just go missing?"

[captain-03]

You are doing just fine, my friend!!

[MtGun44]

"straight WW, which should be OK since I'm keeping my velocity to under 800 fps. "

Don't fall for this baloney. Hard boolits are not needed for higher velocity, at least in pistols.
Straight WWts work fine in my .44 and .357 mag at full power, like 1300-1400 fps with
no problems, fine accy.

Bill

[1Shirt]

In agreement with Gear! Like my blts to be a bit frosty. Think they hold the lube better.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[WVHunter129]

Those look real nice. I have that exact same mold and a 10 lb. pot. I have casted about 400 of those bullets. They almost look chrome until I tumble lube them.

Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

[MBTcustom]

All right, first of all, dude was a class "A" sphincter orifice and instead of taking his BS, you should have put it back on him and made sure he felt about 2" tall by the time you were done (which was his original problem in the first place IMHO) You are a member here. That means that if you read and experiment, you have enough information that you could reduce that sucker to a quivering pile of Huh? in just a few minutes.
Now, as far as your boolits go, it doesn't matter what they look like, it only matters what the holes that five of them left in a piece of paper looks like. Boolits represent potential nothing more. They are only one component that needs to be right, and they have to work with your other components in order to behave properly but how they fit is more important than any other factor, and who realy gives a flying rip if they are a little frosted? The target can't tell a difference ya' know.
Another point I would like to make, is that you shouldn't be casting for folks unless you have a really good source of lead. If you start throwing your lead to the masses, you will soon not have any for yourself, and I can tell ya' if your shooting that particular boolit you need all the lead you can lay your hands on, so scrounge and save what you can.
I'm sorry you weren't better prepared to deal with the jerk at the range, but you should not question your boolits or any part of your life based on attacks from the likes of him. I enjoy constructive criticism even though it hurts some times, but there is a time when you need to realize that your'e just being dumped on for no reason other than the fear and pride of someone who is on shaky ground.

[elton01]

Thanks guys,

I'm very appreciative of the positive feedback. I have gleaned a whole bunch of new tips that are going to help me acheive a higher state of Boolit conciousness.
My sprue plate and block are going to need some attention, as well as some lube. I do have a small bit of roughness at the sprue cut point, so I'm not cutting cleanly and I am smearing a bit of lead. Thanks to all of you for freely giving your time to reply and advice. This is what's so great about this site.:lovebooli:lovebooli

[DrCaveman]

First, those boolits look pretty darn good, way better than my first outing. Until you really dial in the load and figure out exact sizing to fit your barrel, I'll bet they hold up their end of the deal.

One thing I'll share is the first bit of surprising advice I got about casting, and it's already been mentioned in this thread. Flat, clean, round bases should be your number one goal. More important than wrinkle-free tips or sides. When I learned this I realized that I had been culling the wrong boolits from my crop.

To help with sprue cutting, there are a number of tips on this site about enlarging and sharpening the whole. Search 'sprue cutting' and I'll betcha find gold. What I've been doing recently is to open the sprue plate pretty quickly, say 2-3 sEconds after pouring, then let the mold relax (or set it on a damp rag) for another 3-4 seconds before opening. I feel like the boolits drop easier with this method, but more to your point, the sprue cutoff is less pronounced.

[John Boy]

My sprue plate and block are going to need some attention, as well as some lube. I do have a small bit of roughness at the sprue cut point, so I'm not cutting cleanly and I am smearing a bit of lead.
Elton:
You are on your way to being a real fine caster with your bullets - this being your 1st Git Go. Have seen some bullets that other 1st Casters made and they are Butt A** Ugly!
* Lube ... Use Paraffin. It is an excellent hydrocarbon lube for molds and does not leave a hard crusty reside as does bees wax. Lube the pins, sprue plate bolt and sprue plate pour hole with it. Swing the plate away from the blocks so the paraffin doesn't drip back into the mold cavity
* Sprue plate roughness - just stone the bottom of the plate with a fine grade sharpening stone. Diamond stones work great because they are mounted on a plate which provides a flat plane filing
* Smearing lead - primary cause is the bullet sprue puddle is not frosting before you make the cut with the sprue plate. Proper pot temperature will rectify that. Keep your pot melt temperature at the degree so ... with a 5 second pour, the sprue puddle frosts at 5 seconds. Then make the cut. You'll not have anymore smearing

Keep up the good work - cast with a steady rhythm and tell that guy at the range to take a hike - he's a meadow muffin mouth

[DrCaveman]

Ill agree with johnb about the sprue smearing from cutting too soon, so maybe my previous comment was backward for your current problem.

I still contend that I get flatter bases when the sprue is cut near the moment that it visibly hardens. If I wait too long, I get a rough spot at the cut. If I'm too quick, the lead smears. It is a dance, with temps of everything playing roles.

Almost everything about casting seems to be a careful dance, a balancing of all factors that works for you. If you ask me, it is a pretty 'zen' activity and I certainly enjoy it more than reloading these days. The only aspect of the shooting sports I like more is... The shooting!

[BD]

I've shot an awful lot of .45s that weren't as good looking as yours, and won a match or two along the way. In the grand scheme of things if your pistol boolits are round, sized correctly and have decent bases they're gonna fly just fine at handgun ranges. In most cases the guy that's shot 10,000 butt ugly boolits is gonna do better than the guy that's shot 1,000, even if they were really pretty.
BD

[41mag]

I tell you what, those look a WHOLE LOT better than a BUNCH I have poured up.

I've only been at this since about May of last year. I have poured up a couple thousand or so boolits in several calibers, and believe me, there have been times when I simply got up and walked away. It simply seemed that no matter which mold I tried to use all that came out was, well put right back in the pot.

Then there are days when I simply go from one mold to the next and they seem to fall out perfect with every drop.

Like has been mentioned it don't take a pretty boolit to hit the target, and the more of them you hit the target with the better you get at it. I have run quite a few down range with wrinkled sides, noses, and what not, but they had a good base to them. About the only ones I really cull out are the ones where the base band is messed up. I simply don't want to chance a blow by.

Keep at it and they will get better and better as time rolls on.